The Council (Darkness #5)(8)

We stopped in the space halfway between the table and the door. The twelve or so creepers from the hallway filed in after us, spreading out around the room. Feet apart, hands clasped, they stood staring at us in silence. Guards, apparently.

A heavy-set woman sitting at the front of the table said, “Toa, it is nice to see you again. How were your travels?”

Toa bent gracefully, something like a half-bow, before answering, “They were enlightening, Mage June. It is good to be back.”

“And how long do you intend to stay this time around?”

“That has not yet been decided.”

Mage June stared at him for a second in the same way he always stared at everyone else. Mage requirement? Her gaze then flicked to me. “Has Toa given you the scope of our Council—how it operates, how we are sectioned off, and how our Clutch works?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I answered, though I didn’t remember much of it. All I knew with surety was that the Clutch were the group of mages to the Council, in charge of large and tough spells. As such, each of these people had access to the ear of the Council member they were linked to. Their advice was pivotal. All mages, including Toa, wanted a backer in the Clutch to grease the wheels of power. Unfortunately, the Clutch mistrusted anyone with power higher than their own, including each other, and didn’t bother with any power lower. It didn’t speak well of my ability to make friends.

“Good.” Her unwavering stare turned back to Toa. “You were sent to assess her magical power. We received a report that she is a true black power level. Is this correct?”

“Yes,” Toa answered.

“And she deconstructed the spell in the hallway, not you, is that correct?”

“Yes,” Toa answered again.

“I see.” The gaze returned to me. “And you are human, obviously. Have you taken the blood from another in the last three months?”

“No, ma’am,” I responded.

“Not like it would matter.” She shifted in her seat, stocky and well-built. Muscular, though. I had yet to see a pudgy person among this race. All that fighting, sex, and sword-work obviously gave a thorough workout.

“Well, then,” she continued, focused on me. “Show me what you can do. Prove your power, if you please.”

“Do not prove it on her, however,” Toa instructed quickly.

Hmm. Good point. I glanced around the room, finding that curly-haired creep. He’d be my newest helper. The problem was, most of the complex spells I knew were centered on hurting others so I could win challenges. I didn’t think this was the right setting for that.

“Something simple will do, Sasha,” Toa instructed. He’d probably been thinking the same thing I was.

I resorted to an oldie but goodie. Something that could show my power without a doubt, and wouldn’t hurt anyone. As I was mixing the elements just so, Mage June said, “What spell do you intend, child?”

Child?

“I was going to do a magical box. Um, cage. Like a magical cage?” I mentally stabbed myself for not remembering what the danged spell was called.

“Hmm. And you have done this spell before? With success?” Before I could answer, she waved her question away. “Of course you have. You successfully deconstructed an advanced spell on twelve well-educated and experienced personnel. Proceed.”

I turned back to Curly, seeing his eyebrows lowering even as a grin tweaked my mouth. He knew he was the target.

“On me.” Mage June leaned back in her chair. The other seven people around the table, two women and five men, shifted slightly.

I took a deep breath as Toa stepped away, giving me the floor and room to work. I did not miss that look of warning; I knew better than to kill one of the Clutch. I only hoped I didn’t mess up and do it accidentally. This slow spell-working under pressure wasn’t really my forté, even though it was an easy one.

I mixed the elements and cast, the spell forming around her in a hazy black box. The man next to her leaned away.

“Is that it?” Mage June asked of me, gaze pinning me to the spot.

“Well, if I make it a denser box, and you touch it, it’ll shock the hel—heck out of you. It’s not pleasant.”

“And this?” She reached a sure hand forward. One finger barely touched the wall.

A loud zap filled the room. Her hand flinched back.

“This one also shocks, like they’re supposed to, but it doesn’t hurt as much,” I clarified. “Sorry, should’ve warned you.”

“Uh huh. Give it all you’ve got. I need to see what you are capable of.”

I injected energy and power into my magical creation, solidifying the walls until the room could barely make out the inhabitant. My face started to sweat and magic tore through me, wanting more. Wanting me to reach higher, harder. Wanting to push into my body and blast out again.

With effort, I cut off the draw and sucked in a huge breath.

“Was that spell a strain?” the man across from Mage June asked softly.

“Her magic is different than ours, Mage Marius,” Toa responded. “She does not struggle to draw; she struggles to shut off the draw. Once she lays a spell, it will draw energy from her until completed. From her, and whoever is linked to her. This is an extremely rare trait, human or otherwise. I have done research, and the reason it is so rare is because those able to work with such magic are often, at one time or another, overcome with it. They succumb to magic shock—they are killed from it. Survival, then—not the trait itself—is the rarity.”